Nine Ladies Dancing

 9 Ladies Dancing represent the nine Fruits of the Holy Spirit found in Galations 5:22-23. The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control…”

Being an agnostic, I am not a student of the Bible, the Holy Scriptures. No doubt, there are many who are sure I am doomed to Hell. Unless someone saves my soul, I am cursed to cross the Rubicon. But I digress.

Like a chalk board (or whiteboard these days), the slate has been wiped clean. In reality, the 1st of January is just another day. Well, it is a bank holiday (as they would say in Britain). But then so are Memorial Day, Fourth of July, and Labor Day. However, there is much saddled on New Year's Day.

In the south, we traditionally celebrate the day with a meal of Black Eyed Peas with ham hocks (representing coins) and Collards (representing dollar bills). I'm not sure whether we think this meal will truly bring wealth or we just enjoy good food. After all down here (in the Gullah culture) we can also seek prosperity through Iwa or the procurement an Intention Doll (aka Voo Doo Doll). However, in all honesty, later in the year when some wealth comes our way, is it an Ah-Ah moment, when we stop and give credit to a meal we enjoyed several months ago (or our reliance on a bit of Voo Doo)? 

So here we are with our list of resolutions, those good intentions we plan to achieve in the next 12 months. Blessed are those with high aspirations, for they will bask in the folly of great expectations. However, they also get credit for the faith of rose colored glasses.

So I, like many others, will make that list of things that will improve my life, lighten my spirits, and save my soul. Keeping in mind that good intentions pave many roads, and not all of them lead to Hell. So there is hope.

Six Geese A-laying

We move on to the 6th Day of Christmas and "Six Geese A-Laying". Six referring to the days of creation before God's rest on the seventh day.  The eggs represent creation itself, new life.

All this is cloak and dagger about the lyrics of the song and the hidden meanings. Roman Catholics were not allowed to worship in public until 1829. So, what did the Catholic Church do? They wrote a carol in a secret code about birds, maids, lords, and a tree as a type of catechism to educate young Catholics about God and the Bible. Let's assume those children were very much the wiser.  I dare say there are few of us educated adults who understood that the carol was truly about the four gospels, the Pentateuch, creation, etc.  But, I digress.

Onto the matter at hand. The past 10 days have been ones of celebration. There have been dinner tables filled with dishes, casseroles, and platters of roast beast and parties where we grazed among friends. Don't forget baskets of baked goods from the well wishing co-workers and neighbors. And, all sorts of chocolates and chocolates and more chocolates.

Now we must face the scales that have inched up, the zippers that no longer zip, and the pants that no longer fit. It is time for moderation, exercise, and diets. Yet, I have boxes and bags of these delights calling from the kitchen counter . . . "Come hither, enjoy!".  I feel my only choice is to consume all these confectioneries, so I will no longer be tempted.  

Perhaps we are missing the last gift, 13 Waltzing Wood Ducks, code for 13 Days of guilt. 

Five Golden Rings

On the fifth day of Christmas my true love gave to me 5 Golden Rings. First of all, the "Rings" are not jewelry one wears on their hand, rather it refers to the yellow bands around the necks of Gold Finches. Then there are some who speculate the "gold rings" refer to the rings around the necks of  pheasants. Whatever, they are not 14 karat.

Contrary to what we all were brought up to believe, it is not fowl nor jewelry, rather the Pentateuchthe - the first five books of the Old Testament: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.  These are also seen as the history of the man's fall from grace.

All that aside, now that we have a partridge, a pear tree, turtle doves, hens, collie birds, and gold finches (or pheasants), the references have taken a dark turn.  So much for the joyous carol about holiday dancers, swans, and dairy maidens. So now we have gone from caroling about Faith, Hope and Charity to references to the fall of man

In reality, I doubt many of us, on the fifth day, even the Catholics, Anglicans, and Episcopalians, are truly worried about the references to books in the Bible and man's fall from grace. There are more pressing things. Where did Aunt Matilda find that purple vase with the etchings of fighting bulls on it? In all fairness, I could not re-gift that to my worst enemy. There is also the ultimate quandary - do we smugly eat all the rich chocolate we received or give it away to save ourselves from the guilt of doing so. On a more serious note, I was sorely disappointed that I awoke on Boxing Day to find that the fairies did not take down my Christmas Tree and, alas, the task is left to me. 

Four Calling Birds

More fowl? Seriously? Yes, but we have been wrong all these years. It is not a "Calling" bird, rather it is a "Collie" or "Colly" bird. This refers to a black bird. In Theological terms the "4" refers to the Four gospels (and Apostles), Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.

On a secular level Blackbirds are messengers that may haunt the soul, or a curiosity into the mystical elements of the animal and spirit realms. As Poe historically wrote about  the Raven (another black bird). "Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary, . . "  But I digress.

The query at hand is when do the decorations come down? This is the time when we question our sanity in having to decorate every room in the house.  Just because there were so many choices on Pinterest did we really need a wreath on every outside door?

Are you the traditionalist with plans to remove it all before New Years. Or do you fall into the faithful category, waiting until the kings reached the Christ Child with their gifts on Epiphany. 

Who's idea was it to place globes of glass ornaments on so many pieces of furniture? And to double the number of lights on the tree? Did we really need to replace all the hand towels in the bathrooms and tea towels in the kitchen with holiday themed linens? Thankfully I no longer display the large detailed Christmas village with it's animated ice rink, lit snow covered streets, and miniature porcelain carolers. 

As a side note I remember my mother's table displays complete with angel hair (aka spun glass), not the best choice to use with children in the house given it looked just like cotton candy. And the tree lights the size of your thumb that would heat a large size living room, not to mention the dangerous thinly covered electric wires running around and through a live tree that is in the process of drying out.

As I struggle to get the lights off the tree and all the ornaments back into their boxes with minimal damage, I promise to myself that I will simplify my life. 

"Quoth the Raven “Nevermore.”

The season of Lords, Ladies, and Turtle Doves are Upon Us.

 It's that time of year again. That time, when like it or not, the Christmas season is upon us. Once again Thanksgiving is overlooked, much like the red headed step child relegated to the table in the kitchen. Anyway, a true look at the economics of the day, is the price of the 12 Days of Christmas. 2020 was a bit short, given due to Covid there were no: Dancing Ladies, Leaping Lords, Pipers, or Drummers. But as we get back (close) to our old norm - if it exists, all twelve gifts are once again available. Here is the list of the cost of the gifts.

• A Partridge in a Pear Tree - $235.40
• 2 Turtle Doves  -                 $567.00
• 3 French Hens -                  $264.60
• 4 Calling Birds -                 $755.94
• 5 Golden Rings -                $1,190.70
• 6 Laying Geese  -               $775.20
• 7 Swimming Swans -         $14,700.00
• 8 Milking Maids -              $64.96
• 9 Dancing Ladies -            $8,461.82
• 10 Leaping Lords -            $11,200.00
• 11 Piping Pipers -              $3,078.73
• 12 Drummers -                  $3,328.92

For a grand total of $44,623.27

Of course 2020's cost was only $16,168.14 due to the lack of Ladies, Lords, Pipers, and Drummers. 2019's cost was $38,953.59. The 2021 total clearly reflects the inflation that dominates the front pages these days, as compared to 2019, the cost has increased by a little less than $6,000.

Now, as a caveat, with the shipping issues and shortages, the Golden Rings may be a little hard to find. The Lords may have issues getting here, given the Covid travel restrictions and flight cancellations. 

A bit of history here. The song was first published in England in 1780, although its origins are probably French. The current version is an arrangement first published in 1909 by English composer Frederic Austin.  The first day starts with Christmas day and run the 12 days until Epiphany. 

But, all said, and God willing, the 2021 Christmas season will once again enjoy these 79 delights.

Happy Holidays!